Lazy Afternoon

I wrapped things up at the hospital a little earlier than usual on Thursday, so on my way home I gave Jamal a call to see how he was doing. We’ve been unable to meet for a few weeks due to conflicting schedules. I wasn’t really planning to drop by, but when I asked him what he was up to he told me that he was playing SUPER SMASH BROTHERS, one of my favorite games of all times. I was deeply impressed when he mentioned that he had repaired his broken controller by disassembling it and a reconnecting a damaged wire. That controller had been the only thing standing between us and a Smash Brothers showdown, so I decided that it would only be right to drop by his apartment for a few matches.
Twenty minutes after I arrived I had already lost 4 straight games, and I was actually starting to get a little irritated. I’m pretty good at that game, and I couldn’t believe this dude was breaking me off like that. Not only was he kicking my Pikachu all over the screen, but he was telling me how bad I sucked every time he blew my character off the screen. I hadn’t suffered that much verbal abuse from a 12-year-old since I was in the 6th grade. As I started getting frustrated, I considered that perhaps this would just have to be one of those tender moments where Jamal would grow more confident after dealing his big brother a thrashing. Just as I was about to tell him that he was the better player and congratulate him on his victories, I realized that there was no way I could leave with that many losses on the board.
I ended up battling back and tied the score before I left. All the while returning a lot of the same harrassment. It was really fun. After we turned the game off, Jamal told me that he’s starting the 6th Grade on Monday at a school across town. As a side note, he expressed his disapproval at the Baltimore School system’s recent lowering of the passing standard to 60%.

Passing Easier in City Schools

I found it a little amusing that even some children can see how bad of an idea that is. I challenged him to set a goal of getting all A’s this year and offered him an incentive of his choice (within reason). Jamal is a very intelligent kid who is more than capable of getting great grades, but he has been getting B’s and C’s and even failed a class last year. I just think he’s been a little short on motivation and has had some serious distractions to deal with. But I believe that he can do a lot better this year, and I hope that he will allow me to help him get there.